Candy had felt odd about having Caroline Baker in her home from the moment Gary had suggested it. Therefore, walking in the back door that night to find her, Ben and her family seated at dinner when she arrived home over an hour early hardly qualified as a surprise. Seeing the shocked expression on all of their faces confirmed any suspicions she had been unwilling to voice.
“Hey, more company!” Candice played it off with a smile. “I guess Ben is here to woo his secretary back to her desk?”
Latching on to the offered excuse, Gary joined in with a boisterous laugh; “I mentioned we had hired her, and he insisted on my arranging a meeting on neutral ground.”
Serving her plate of steak and salad, Candy joined the group, noting that Caroline occupied her favorite chair next to Daks. Taking a seat beside her mother, who preferred sitting against the wall on the end next to her bedroom door, she watched as the new nanny seemed to have settled into her role with ease.
Eating and monitoring as Dakota munched on his carrot sticks, Caroline could feel the tension building in her shoulders and neck. She had known as soon as she hung up the phone with Gary that trying to sneak behind the woman of the house’s back was a mistake; a lie that they had begun weaving the moment she had arrived there.
“Here, Daks,” the young woman reached over to help her charge with his fingers on his fork. “That’s it,” she praised. She could almost feel the burn of Candy’s squinted orbs as they glared at her, and regret stole what had remained of her appetite. Managing a few bites between helping the boy, she waited until most appeared to have completed the meal before she stood to clear the table.
Watching the blonde as she scraped plates and loaded the dishwasher, Candy wondered what the trio had really been up to. The situation had gnawed at her ever since she left the house that morning, and by the time class had ended for the evening break, she couldn’t take it anymore; she had to know what was going on. She had skipped the lab in order to get home and check on things, and settle the situation once and for all.
“Mom, are you going to give Dakota his bath tonight?” Candy asked sweetly.
“Yes, of course,” the older woman smiled with obvious pleasure. “Caroline may be the new nanny and housekeeper, but bath time is still all mine.” Claiming the boy’s hand, she led him into her private quarters and closed the door, where a tub full of bubbles would soon occupy them for at least half an hour.
Spying the satisfied smirk on his wife’s face, Gary knew he was in trouble. Leaning back in his chair, he studied her soft features and waited for her to begin her assault. When she didn’t speak, he offered, “They dismissed you early tonight?”
“No,” she replied flatly, shaking her head slowly.
Running his hands over his stubble, Gary cut his eyes over at Ben, who had remained silent from the moment of her arrival. “Are you sick?” he tried again, hoping for an innocent reason for her busting in on them.
“No, Gary,” she bit, her teeth grinding slightly.
“Maybe I should be going,” Benjamin finally spoke up, getting to his feet.
Cutting her eyes over him, they gleamed like sharp daggers when Candy rebuked him, “What’s your part in this, Ben?”
“My part?” he scoffed, patting his chest with the tips of his fingers. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
“The hell you don’t,” Candy hissed. “Yesterday, my husband shows up with your secretary in tow, insisting that we give her a job and a place to stay after she has left your firm for some mysterious reason. Then, twenty-four hours later, you’re here and the three of you are cozy as kittens eating dinner with my mother and son while I’m supposed to be in class. Coincidence? I don’t think so!” she practically shouted.
“Baby, calm down,” Gary soothed.
“I am calm,” she screamed back. “I just want to know what the hell is going on here!”
Exchanging glances between the three of them, Caroline finally spoke up. “Candy, I’m really sorry about all of this. I didn’t know who I could trust –”
“Who you could trust?” the other woman cut her off. “What is going on, Gary?” she addressed her mate through a clenched jaw.
“Could you two wait in my office for a moment? Candy and I need to talk for a minute, and then I’ll be in and we can finish our business,” Gary instructed calmly.
Dropping her cloth in the sink, Caroline ceased her cleanup and left the room with Ben close behind. After the pair had disappeared down the hall, Gary swallowed hard and then began to confess, “Honey, I’m sorry we made you worry. That was not my intention.”
“I’ll bet,” she shot back, causing his brow to furrow. “I don’t understand why you would lie to me. Do you not trust me? Is there some secret you guys are in on, something you’re planning or they’re planning?”
“It’s not like that,” his voice cracked, hardly above a whisper. “Something’s happened, Candy. Something terrible, and I didn’t want to get you involved.”
“And bringing her into our home doesn’t make me involved?” Candy sniffed, her hands clenched into fist on the table in front of her.
Leaning towards her, Gary placed his fingers over hers. “I didn’t want you to worry. I didn’t think you would be in any danger; we would figure everything out and it would all be fine.”
Her eyes wide, she glared at him in dismay. “Why would I be in danger? What have you done?”
“I haven’t done anything, yet. Caroline came to me yesterday. She had some suspicions about a few fires that had taken place over the last couple of years, and since I had been an arson investigator, she thought I could help.” He stared into her warm hazel eyes as he spoke, not daring to look away.
“And you were more than willing to help her out,” Candy surmised.
“No, I wasn’t. Not at first, but when she explained that the first fire was the one that destroyed your apartment two years ago…” his voice trailed away and he shrugged. Swallowing, he felt foolish at having hid the truth from her. “I should have told you last night, but I wasn’t sure what to make of it all.”
“And how does Ben fit into the picture?” her tone still roiled with angry undertones.
“He was here, last night; it wasn’t someone from the office. He’s the one who interrupted dinner. He had just made the same discoveries that Caroline had made, and he also thought of me as a source of help.”
“Seems your good-guy reputation is well known,” she said with a slight grin at his discomfort. “Go on.”
“Well, it is well known,” he withdrew his grip on her and leaned back in his chair. “You have no idea how hard this has been. I’ve never kept any secrets from you, and this one was about to tear me apart!”
Studying him for a long moment, Candy finally asked in a calmer voice, “So are they right?”
“I can’t say for sure, but after having a look at the evidence today, I think we need to investigate further,” he replied, glancing at the closed door of his mother-in-law’s suite. “They’ll be done soon. I think we should move to my office and finish this discussion away from innocent ears.”